tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23786421162049298062024-02-21T00:20:55.713-08:00The Jackson FamilyLearning daily to live by faith, hope and loveUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-65642509861924926942014-10-14T19:00:00.000-07:002014-10-14T19:00:50.557-07:00A hippie in the makingEighteen months ago my life looked very different than it does today. I was a new mother to three and in the middle of newborn days, but that's not what made it so different. I was confident as a mother of three, I was confident in the way we were eating, living and doing life. I trusted my doctors. I visited the doctors office frequently when my children were sick and loaded up on antibiotics as prescribed when needed. We took a daily multi-vitamin and felt blessed to have the good health we did. The biggest difference...I didn't concern myself with superbugs, how they spread, how they were formed, how they were treated, and how they were overcome.<br />
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And I definitely wasn't a hippie.<br />
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Without going into much of our LONG, long MRSA journey...it has been hard. Really hard. It has affected every area of our lives - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and relational. It has affected all five members of our family numerous times - consistently over the last 18 months.<br />
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It wasn't until Cole's hospital stay last January that I knew we couldn't just keep taking medications and listening to doctors tell us to just wash out hands. I felt in my gut it was time to figure this out on our own, because there was no one walking through it with us. It was us and Jesus - seriously.<br />
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We started using essential oils, and they worked, but we needed more, something to stop the spreading. We started a silver protocol written by a guy in England who called once every two weeks to check on our progress. It seemed to help, sometimes, but we needed more. I purchased a book written by a microbiologist and read it cover to cover. We started cleaning with silver. We rid our home of every single cleaner that could be compromising our immune system. I started making my own soap and detergent. I started cutting all artificial dyes and antibiotics from our food diets. We started eating organic and drinking green smoothies. We added supplements to our diet. And above all we kept trusting that God would keep directing us in what else needed to be changed in our lives. We kept praying that God would show us ways that could be contributing to our compromised health.<br />
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And we started seeing changes. Finally.<br />
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One month ago we went to see an Infectious Disease Specialist. His only new suggestion that we hadn't tired?! "All five of you should take a bleach bath every night for three months. Soak for 20 minutes" And as I stared at him like he had three heads, I asked what we do when someone brings it back in the house or we get it again??? His answer: "Start over with soaking" I left outraged. <br />
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So here we are. Two months MRSA free. It is the longest we have gone in over a year. I feel hopeful. I am not fearful. I've been given incredible tools that will change my family's health forever. <br />
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Just a few days ago someone called me and her son had MRSA - twice. I got to share with her our story. I've been hiding for so long for a few reasons: Anger, embarrassment, confusion as to why we have walked this road and fear of rejection of me and my kids. But as I got to walk alongside her, I was reminded of this verse.<br />
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<em>"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,<sup abp="1124" class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28804A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28804A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, <span abp="1125" class="text 2Cor-1-4" id="en-NIV-28805"><sup abp="1126" class="versenum">4 </sup>who comforts us<sup abp="1127" class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28805B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28805B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."</span></em><br />
<span abp="1125" class="text 2Cor-1-4"><em>2 Corinthians 1:3-4</em></span><br />
<span abp="1125" class="text 2Cor-1-4"><em></em></span><br />
<span abp="1125" class="text 2Cor-1-4">I don't have an answer to why our family has faced this 18 month trial. But I have no doubt that God, in His infinite wisdom has a purpose and plan for it greater than I could imagine. So, in order to be used by Him I have to be willing.</span><br />
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<span abp="1125" class="text 2Cor-1-4">And claim what is true - I think I have become a hippie.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-44428185601514687672014-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:002014-07-23T12:25:31.063-07:00The next chapterWhen we first moved to Charlotte nine years ago, LD and I knew we needed to find a church asap. With no family in the area we needed Charlotte parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers....people to do life with. And we did! <br />
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We found Next Level Church just a few short months after moving here and we did a lot of life with the people we got to know - holidays, birthdays, dinners, baby showers, meals delivered after babies, and just every day life. When we started at Next Level there were about 100 people, we were meeting in a gym and setting up and tearing down on Sundays. They needed us and we needed them. It was a great fit. Some of our very best friends we will ever have in this life time came from being a part of that church.<br />
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We were able to watch Next Level grow and move from a gymnasium to two services and its own building. We were able to watch friends learn about who Jesus was and how much he loved them, watch friends be baptized, watch friends learn what it means to follow Christ in everyday life and then teach others. <br />
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During our nine years there I was given the opportunity to serve on staff for five years, carrying out my passion of teaching others how to serve as the body of Christ. We did home makeovers, food drives, after school tutoring, shoe distributions, and lots of loving on neighbors. I LOVED being a part of something so much bigger than me, being one small part of God's love for Charlotte. I was able to use my social work skills, do ministry, and still be at home to raise my babies. Then a year or so ago LD was able to serve on the board at the church, using the leadership skills God has given him. It has been a place where we grew in grace and were able to use our gifts.<br />
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Over the last year God has crossed some crazy and amazing relationships in our lives. He has made it incredibly evident that we are being called to a new chapter. It is so bittersweet to leave our first church as a married couple and where all three of my babies were dedicated and loved from birth. But I also know that He will bless our obedience to this new calling, to be a part of Mission Community Church as they get ready to launch this fall. <br />
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So for those of you at Next Level Church - we have LOVED spending our life with you and look forward to still sharing in friendship together. We will miss you incredibly as we embark on this new journey and will continually pray for you, your families and the leadership of Next Level who we hold so dear to our hearts.<br />
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Please pray for the leadership and launch team of Mission Community Church as they seek God in planting this new church. And please pray that lives are changed through God's amazing grace through this new ministry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-46247406297915378072014-04-08T12:11:00.000-07:002014-04-08T12:11:15.867-07:00Life in communityIts not surprise to people who know me that I am pretty social. I really enjoy people and feel lonely when a few days go by without some social interaction. L.D., though he enjoys company does not share the same passion for constant engagement that I do ;) <br />
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So honestly, when he invited our next door neighbors (mom, dad, 2 teenage boys and 3 dogs) to live in our home for a few months while they were in transition - it took me by surprise that he seemed so at ease with the thought. We LOVE our neighbors and I have mentioned many times how grateful we are for them and how we enjoy living life with them. But I was still a little curious how this social experiment would go.<br />
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I've thought a lot about how Christ intended the church to function when it was founded in Acts chapter 2. The early church lived together, shared meals together, it even says they "had everything in common" (Acts 2:42) God intended us to live life in community, to the point where we share meals together, share our hearts with each other and enjoy the day to day living with one another. In our current culture, that is so foreign. If we share a meal together it is planned in advance, we pull out our best dishes and make our best meal...its not a shared, normal life experience.<br />
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In the last few weeks Melanie and I have meal planned together, we take turns cooking, she runs to the grocery store for me, I leave my little ones home with her when I run Clare to school. Last weekend we did some late night shopping together, LD pulled out his Super Nintendo and showed the boys his old games, we watched movies. We have literally lived everyday life together. And I love it. <br />
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I think in June when they move out I am going to need another dog, or another kid (kidding!) to keep the full house feeling. I've fallen behind in my regimented days and cleaning schedule, I haven't been nearly as diligent at being organized, but isn't that what life is all about? Aren't we supposed to choose people over to-do lists? Its been a great reminder to me that you can never out give God!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-24975485340796539902014-03-09T11:35:00.007-07:002014-03-09T11:41:04.632-07:00Again....but to a different tuneI've thought all week about this post. In a few moments of weakness I didn't know if it would get penned, but I am excited that the time has come for me to share.<br />
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Without going over again the history our family has had with MRSA over the last year and my extreme hatred for the superbug, just know we have been through it all. In the last 8 months I have lived in fear that if I let a week slip without bleaching the tub, if I allowed the girls to sit in the bathtub, if I didn't bleach every towel in our house the minute we used them, if I didn't follow through on this crazy regiment - then I would be at fault for MRSA showing up in our household again. And...I haven't.<br />
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Yet, last week Cole had a small dermatitis type rash in his diaper area and within 6 hrs, LD and I both knew MRSA had overtaken one little spot. We've seen it more times than I want to admit and we knew. Immediately LD said "It's game time" because we have been researching, investing, and had been directed down this path of essential oils. My first disclaimer is this post is NOT about selling essential oils. This journey is much deeper than that for our family. But he was right, we bought into essential oils because of the protocol they had for MRSA and we had read A LOT, so essentially it was game time.<br />
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I have learned amazing things in my research - like did you know than when antibiotics kill the good and bad bacteria in our gut, some of the bad bacteria goes into hiding to show up again when our immune system is down? Did you know some of that leftover bad bacteria can make its way into our spinal fluid, waiting to show it self again?! When I learned this, it was freeing - wait, you mean this MRSA lives WITHIN our kids bodies now? They are most likely not picking it up from my house not being sterile enough???? Sigh, knowledge is freedom.<br />
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As we committed this week to keep deep prayer, fasting, heart crying out rescuing from this superbug on our home I had such peace. At times my faith waivered and when it did, LD poured truth into my heart. He reminded me of the story in the Bible of the woman who bled for years but knew if she just touched, just barely touched Jesus cloak she would be healed. Her faith healed her. We had to have faith that God directed us to a path of deliverance and we knew this was the path He had directed us to.<br />
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At first my technique and tools weren't working and I panicked. I called my oils mentor and asked her advice and we tried new things. As I applied oils to Cole my mantra, my heart cry became a favorite song that says "Before the world began, before you spoke it to be, yeah you were, yeah you were." These oils are not new, they were made in creation. God created the things I was using to heal.<br />
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Day 5 - all of a sudden the spot started shrinking. My heart breathed a sigh of relief and I was filled with overwhelming humility. All of a sudden my faith was completely turned upside down. I was taught about Christ and his love for me a young age, but all of a sudden if I believed what I was saying out loud, it meant my faith was tangible. How dare I admit that the God of the universe created melaluca, cinnamon bark, oregano with me in mind. But that's what the Bible says. It says He knew me before I was born. He knew I would need this to heal my son of a MRSA superbug that the medical field had created. He knew I would be exhausted of the hospital, exhausted by insurance companies refusing to pay bills, exhausted of a crazy cleaning schedule that no sane person could manage. He knew that He alone is my healer. <br />
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And now I am free. It is so revolutionary for me. I have confidence that we will never live in fear of this nightmare again - sure, it may show its ugly head again. But I have faith that God has given me the tools I need.<br />
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"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-13051152242975811662014-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:002014-02-15T19:59:38.674-08:00Who woulda thoughtSo I'm definitely not a granola mom. I only nursed til 7 months with all three kids, I didn't cloth diaper and in my foreseeable future I don't plan to homeschool....AND, if truth be told my kids love Lucky Charms and Kraft Mac and Cheese - even with all the bad junk that's in them. (In my defense they eat greek yogurt, hummus and chia seeds too! See its all about balance!)<br />
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With that said, those who know me well are probably shocked at my new found love of essential oils. And its true, its a new found LOVE.<br />
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The funny thing about being a mom is that at some point (maybe multiple points) during your mommyhood journey, you are going to throw your hands up with no idea at how to solve a problem. That's what happened with my family. And when desperation sets in you are willing to test the waters of almost anything.<br />
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Its no secret that we have had numerous MRSA infections which have left me crazy. So crazy that my kids don't own bath toys, the girls only shower, their towels have names and we wash 5 towels EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. with hot water and bleach. So with desperation set in - a friend mentioned essential oils having a protocol for MRSA and I was all in.<br />
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A few weeks ago my skeptical (and frugal) husband and I purchased a started kit and I decided if we were going to try this out, we were going all in. So I started researching something I never even knew existed and trying to make it work for our family. Of course the day our kit arrived, 2 out of 5 had the start of a cold. <br />
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My children have always had, um....ridiculous sickness. Elle couldn't have a cold without an ear infection which led to tubes, Clare and Cole both have asthma induced symptoms when they get a cold, which leads to lots and lots of steroids, which leads to crazy mood swings and food cravings. My prayer was that we would just outgrow all of these things and until then, we washed their hands, but what else are you going to do?!<br />
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During our little colds I started trying out my new magic potions :) It took a while to get it right as Clare's cough was building I started panicking that I was going to have to pull out the nebulizer, but then I read somewhere that lavender could calm asthma. So, I rubbed some on her back and chest, diffused some in her room - coughing ended. Then we started diffusing lavender in Cole's room - coughing ended. Then we started putting lavender on their feet before bedtime nightly.<br />
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All of a sudden this little experiment seemed to click and make sense. All of a sudden I started to have some faith in these magic oils I purchased as mine and LD's colds disappeared within days.<br />
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So - this mama is sold. We have started a totally new journey in our house and its so different from anything I've ever done. I feel a little like an imposter as I attempt to help my kids while they are sick after so quickly calling the doctor for so many years.<br />
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Its one of those things. As a mom of little ones, when something is working, and helping - and its natural without SO MANY SIDE EFFECTS - you have to share the news.<br />
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Email me if you want more info! <a href="mailto:jmelissamarie@gmail.com">jmelissamarie@gmail.com</a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-61254790288610848532014-02-01T18:46:00.001-08:002014-02-01T18:46:26.428-08:00Beauty in the present<div abp="1630">
In my attempt to embrace the life stage I am in, I've really tried to see beauty in my tasks. And yeah, that can be hard.</div>
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Most, if not all of the time, I make a mental to do list and within 5 minutes, 5 hours or 5 days, I have to do the task again. Normally its 5 minutes and seldom 5 days. Things like picking up messes, making meals, cleaning, fixing, brushing....you know, you have the same list.</div>
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One of my current favorite writers and bloggers is Ann Voskamp (<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/">www.aholyexperience.com</a>) . She's an incredible woman. You know the type, homeschooling mother of 5 or 6 who is a farmers wife and makes everything from scratch and does it all with grace and beauty. When I read her blogs I am always encouraged and inspired. But, I noticed that a lot of her photography is of her mundane, but it looks beautiful!! How does she make a pile of play dough on the floor look like beauty and not a panic to clean up?! I'm not a photographer in any way, but a light bulb went on for me </div>
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I can find beauty in my daily tasks, beauty in this present stage of life, beauty in what I do every day. So, this week I kept my camera handy and just snapped pictures of life and tried to see it through a different lens.</div>
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Let's be honest. There will always be a mental check list, but it won't always include folding a little red tutu poking out of the laundry basket, picking up tiny little paints splattered across my dining room table or cutting little bitty pieces of meat for dinner.</div>
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Sometimes the only thing we need to do to see beauty is change the way we are looking at it. I am just like the rest - I would rather be reading a book to my children than emptying the dishwasher or folding laundry. And sure, you always hear the great wisdom of "let your house go - play with your children" - and I think that is wise and important. Balance is key. And at the end of the day, even if I choose to play with my kids all day, someone has to empty the dishwasher.</div>
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But maybe if I keep my camera handy, and look through a different lens, I will find a little more inspiration in this chaotic life with little children and see beauty in right where I am.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-16308988924459431812014-02-01T18:27:00.004-08:002014-02-01T18:27:44.480-08:00STRIKE!<div abp="1658">
I cannot believe it, but our girls have never been bowling. Nine years ago, LD and I were in a bowling league (yeah, yeah, I know) with our church in Michigan. We have our own bowling balls and shoes and I promise you my cute little ball and shoes have not seen light in 9 years. I totally forgot we had them until yesterday.</div>
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But, LD and I thought it would be fun to take the girls bowling.</div>
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The girls were so excited. Clare was slightly bummed she had to use a greenish yellow ball, but quickly recovered from the bowling alleys ball color choices.</div>
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Clare does not have much upper body strength. We already knew this, but we were reminded when she threw with everything she had and the ball came to a complete stop halfway down the alley. </div>
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The funniest part is she would grab her ball and almost run to the line and drop her ball. She saw everyone else doing it quickly and she wanted to do it the same way. Only she doesn't have quite enough "oomph!"</div>
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Elle, on the other hand, has lots of upper body strength. But, we were not certain she would throw in the right direction. LD must have pointed his finger 100 times making sure she understood you only throw it THAT way!</div>
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I love this picture...they were patiently waiting behind the line for their turn, but they were anxious, that's for sure.</div>
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Thankfully we opted for 1 game instead of 2 hours of play time. These girls barely survived the game. It was fun - for about 6 frames and then they were ready to move onto something else.</div>
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It's tough with a little one Cole's age because its hard to do family things where there isn't a safe place for him to walk around and explore. Our girls needed some mommy and daddy time where we were focused on them.</div>
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And they enjoyed every minute of it!!</div>
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<a abp="1728" href="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_1049_zpsad49a2e0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1729" border="0" src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_1049_zpsad49a2e0.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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And look at that handsome man. You didn't know I married him for his bowling form did you? ;)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-90583128956880106772014-02-01T18:09:00.001-08:002014-02-01T18:09:57.360-08:00SNOW DAY!!!<div abp="1759" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In the south we will take any chance we get to make it a snow day, because who knows, it may be the only chance we have.</div>
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We took our inch of snow and we were ready for a day of fun. Clare was off of school, LD took the morning off of work, and I promise - these girls were SO excited!</div>
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Don't they look like a motley crew? Elle's snow pants were cracking me up. They are a size too small, but they had never been worn because....well, we didn't have a chance last year! So, they were really little and we ended up just taking them off.</div>
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We made snow angels too!</div>
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Cole has a little runny nose so he saw the snow for a few minutes, but he was not in the mood to play for long. But I'm with him - I would much rather watch from inside.</div>
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The best part of the entire day was when Kiser, next door woke up and came over to play with the girls. All of these pictures were taken from INSIDE my house. Our eating area looks over the big hill next to our house so I could just sit and watch them outside the window.</div>
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Our awesome neighbor had picked up sleds for the girls and for her boys, and they did this for over an hour and a half!</div>
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Then, Elle just started sobbing. When she came to the door I asked her what was wrong and she could barely talk. She said "My fingers and my toes!" Poor baby was numb!!</div>
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So what better way to end a snow day than snuggled on the couch?!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-63305966993202586582014-01-30T11:51:00.001-08:002014-01-30T11:51:55.606-08:00Cole buddy is ONE!!!<div abp="248" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="249" href="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0913_zps177310bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="250" border="0" src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0913_zps177310bf.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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We are so TRULY blessed by our sweet little boy. He was the easiest in his first year of life over our girls. He has been so laid back and easy going, just enjoying being part of the chaos we live in.</div>
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<a abp="257" href="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0915_zps8a55a860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="258" border="0" src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0915_zps8a55a860.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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Just recently...things changed. He is still the sweetest, cutest boy around...but he requires a LOT more attention. He likes to be carried - especially by his mama. He likes to throw all his food on the floor when he's in his high chair and no one is paying attention to him. And he likes to scream when anything is taken away. Yes, he's become a toddler.</div>
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<a abp="267" href="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0916_zpsdadc95ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="268" border="0" src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0916_zpsdadc95ca.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Side note: that little gate was his birthday present and you can guess...he despises it. But sometimes when mama has to make dinner and open a hot oven, he just has to deal)</div>
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Cole is a walker, climber, and runner already. He thinks its funny to disappear and I can tell it will be different having a boy than what I'm used to. He LOVES (ADORES) his sisters and loves when they give him undivided attention.</div>
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<a abp="286" href="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0925_zpsce2b1617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="287" border="0" src="http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag100/lissa519/DSC_0925_zpsce2b1617.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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He is getting really good at folding his hands before dinner and saying "men" for Amen after we pray. He's great at clapping his hands and playing peek-a-boo. And instead of saying "mama" or "mommy," he sits in his high chair holding out his sippy cup and yells "MOM" over and over.</div>
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I love watching the relationship develop between Cole and LD. If he comes in the door from work and doesn't immediately acknowledge Cole - there is lots of screaming. He likes to be known, can you tell?</div>
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We decided to have a (very) small birthday for Cole. And it got smaller as every kid in Charlotte got sick the weekend of his party. But he still had a great time opening presents...and of course eating cake!</div>
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I am so blessed to be the mommy of a little boy. I secretly love that he's a mama's boy, even though LD tells me I coddle him. I'm not a coddler by nature, but man...he is really cute!</div>
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Happy First Birthday Cole!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-26561595804363154352014-01-16T07:44:00.001-08:002014-01-16T07:44:19.791-08:00RefinementI did not anticipate the week going as it has. I didn't expect LDs wallet and phone to be stolen, causing us to quickly cancel all our credit cards, change passwords and codes. I didn't expect to be going to bed uneasy that night because someone had our address and could see pictures and videos of our family. But, LD and I committed the year to The Lord so we knelt by the bed and prayed for the young man who was in possession of his identity.<br />
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Monday, I didn't expect to go to he doctors for what I knew was a MRSA spot on Cole. I had diligently for six months made sure no one bathed together, shared a towel, tubs were bleached, we used special cleanser and used medication to "decolonize" all of our family. But there it was. We started medication and all four of us lay hands on Cole pleading for Gods protection.<br />
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Tuesday, I didn't expect to end up at Levine children's hospital with my baby boy, where his infection site needed iv treatments. I didn't expect that come Thursday I would still be sitting here. I didn't expect that while I was here I would fight demons of inadequacy, anger, and pity. <br />
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Wednesday, I didn't expect LDs car not to start as he drove the girls to a friends who would take them for the day while I waited at the hospital and he finally spent time at work this week. I didn't expect Coles iv to stop working, causing us to put in a new one. And I certainly didn't expect to get a call saying our home was rezoned to a new school district for Clare for next year, leaving me anxious about what that means for the fall.<br />
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My dad sent me a devotion that I read at 2:30 am waiting for Coles meds to be changed out. It said that the enemy only goes after those who are a threat to him. As a Christ follower, if I am a threat to the enemy he is going to make life hard for me. Those who are dead to Christ aren't a threat to the enemy, therefore don't need to be Challenged. It also reminded me that the Bible tells us over and over through trials we are refined, made like gold. Through trials my faith is proved genuine. <br />
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This week is hard. I have cried. I have thrown full out rages in my mind. And when I go home I have a lot of work to do to start all over at how to decolonize our family from this mess so we don't end up here again.<br />
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But I decided January 1st that I was counting graces, blessings. So here they are:<br />
-cole did not need surgery<br />
-my husband has been a rock of strength and guidance<br />
-my mama is on her way<br />
- a friend came to hold cole so I could take a breath<br />
-friends sit at Jesus feet on my behalf<br />
-we have great nurses<br />
-my baby boy has made others smile<br />
- my girls are resilient<br />
-i am loved completely<br />
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<div class="passage version-NIV result-text-style-normal text-html ">
<span class="text Jas-1-12" id="en-NIV-30279" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30279A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></span> because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30279B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></span> that the Lord has promised to those who love him.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30279C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></span></span><br />
<span class="text Jas-1-12" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">James 1:12</span></div>
<div class="passage-scroller">
<ul class="result-options button txt-sm" id="result-options2" style="background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0% 0%, 0% 100%, from(rgb(255, 255, 255)), to(rgb(170, 170, 170))); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); cursor: default; float: left; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 5px;">
<li style="border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; float: left; list-style-type: none;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%201&version=NIV" style="display: block; height: 25px; text-decoration: none;" title="Go to Hebrews 1"></a></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-65504044663624032872014-01-07T11:55:00.002-08:002014-01-07T11:55:50.124-08:00I will not merely survive 20142013 was a blur. It was a blur of survival in its finest form. I remember last Christmas I was 8 months pregnant and my dad asking me what I thought about the upcoming year. I remember telling him I knew it would be the most physically exhausting and most difficult year for me as a parent thus far. And, I was right.<br />
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For some, three kids is a piece of cake. It was not for me. It was a day by day challenge and still is at times. I feel like 2013 was started in survival mode and we accomplished what we set out to do. All 3 of my kids, myself and my husband survived - go us!<br />
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But, I am really ready to tackle 2014 with some bigger goals than mere survival. I am ready to jump into parenting 3 with Cole's first year of life almost behind us (sniff sniff). <br />
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If you don't know about Ann Voskamp, you should. She is INCREDIBLE. She is a farmers wife, homeschooling mother of 6, writer and incredibly uplifting and challenging. Her blog <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/">www.aholyexperience.com</a> is a place I will live a lot this year. She wrote on January 1st about instead of having a new years resolution you should have a new years revolution, and that is what I am ready for this year.<br />
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To kick off the new year, the girls and I painted our fingers and toes bright purple. Do you know when the last time I painted my finger nails was?!? At least a year ago. Sad, but true. But we did it as a statement. When you are merely surviving, the small things go by the wayside. You are way too busy emptying and refilling the dishwasher, throwing kids in and out of the bath, and changing laundry to sit and paint your finger nails. And if I did paint, I painted the girls because I did not have time to maintain my own.<br />
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But, this is my life. And as Cole is (way too) quickly approaching his first birthday and these baby years are all flying by, I want so badly to be in the moment. And since life as a mom is super busy, super crazy, that means I am up at 6:15 to work out and shower before the kids get up so I can enjoy my day with them. It means I empty the dishwasher at 10:30pm before hopping into bed so in the morning we are ready to hit the ground running. <br />
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I keep telling myself - this is a season. And this season is FAST! <br />
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I highly encourage you to read <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/a-grace-plan-a-doable-life-change-plan-for-a-new-year-a-new-you-with-printable/">http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/12/a-grace-plan-a-doable-life-change-plan-for-a-new-year-a-new-you-with-printable/</a> this blog post by Ann. It will give you some gusto to tackle your upcoming year!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-84688894986625779742014-01-07T11:37:00.001-08:002014-01-07T11:37:06.222-08:00A HUGE, memorable family Christmas<div abp="727" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was our family Christmas! 15 people consisting of 2 families from Michigan, 1 family from Vegas, two little boys first Christmas and lots of cousins.</div>
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I was so excited to finally be able to host Christmas for my family. I was ecstatic to have everyone in our home for the week, but man...it got crazy!!</div>
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Before everyone got here we had to do some high priority items to get ready for them to arrive, like making decorations AND</div>
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visiting Santa Claus! (Negative mom points for me not getting Cole to see Santa on his first Christmas. Poor third child...I feel sad for him) </div>
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But even if he missed seeing Santa, he didn't miss out on collecting lots of loot!!!</div>
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Vanessa, Evan and baby Owen were the first of the family to arrive and the last to leave. We were SO thankful they spent 10 days with us. It was such a treat and I soak up every minute of I can get knowing our time together is so short and spaced out.</div>
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This was the first time Cole and Owen met. Yay for cousins!!! I have no doubt next year they will be causing all sorts of boy havoc.</div>
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My parents arrived in time to go with us to the Christmas Eve service and prepare for Santa's big arrival.</div>
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We have not all been together for a Christmas Eve in at least 4 or 5 years so it was a big deal!</div>
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Last year my mom started the tradition of leaving reindeer food out on Christmas Eve and the girls were all about that! They are such a fun age. We looked at the sky trying to see if we could see Santa and Clare was sure she saw him. She went to bed happy as can be knowing she saw Santa!</div>
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We had some big highlights that I did an awful job documenting while everyone was here. But here are some favorite things we did:</div>
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- My mom and aunt took the girls to build-a-bear</div>
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- We all went to see Frozen while LD watched Cole and Owen all by himself</div>
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-We played lots of games after the girls were in bed</div>
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- We went to Founders Hall to see the singing bears</div>
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- We played with new toys</div>
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- We laughed a LOT</div>
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-Mommy got a break from giving baths :)</div>
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I will admit, I was exhausted when everyone left and my house looked like it had been taken over by animals. But I promise I would give anything to do it again every year. It was such a blessing to be together as family!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-84308528932857481312013-12-19T19:51:00.000-08:002013-12-19T19:51:00.246-08:00One proud mamaI have experienced lots of proud moments with my three children in my short five years of parenting, but tonight topped them all! Tonight was Clare's Christmas program at pre-school, but it was a bigger deal than most because Clare was scared.<br />
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In the fall Clare's young 5's class did a little play at school for the parents. Clare was so, SO excited, but when she walked out with her class and saw the parents she got stage fright. Not just a little, but full blown panic. I wish I could say I handled it like a wonderful mom and showed incredible grace and support...but that's not what happened. This was totally new for me, and for Clare, and I was flustered. I didn't know how to help her and in my frustration with the situation I came across insensitive and unkind to my sweet little girl.<br />
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The next week I found a book on facing childhood worries and read all about how to empathize with their fears and be a face of calm when they are scared. She had memorized Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid. For the Lord your God will be with you" at school, so we began repeating that verse whenever Clare talked about being scared. We made silly jokes about pretending everyone looked like reindeer and practiced yelling at the butterflies in our tummy to go away. We read books about children doing performances and ballerinas on stage. <br />
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And honestly, did I care if Clare overcame her stage fright at the age of 5? That truly wasn't the goal. But she had been so excited about her play, and was SO excited about this performance that I hated to see her fears allow her to miss exciting things, especially something she had looked forward to.<br />
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So tonight was the night. Though Clare said she was excited all day, and LD and I had prayed she would make it through, I will admit I didn't have confidence it would happen. <br />
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But she did it!! She sang with her class, then she said her line in her class play, then sang a song with the school! We had a big celebration tonight at Chick Fil A, not for being a star, but for being brave and trusting Jesus with her fears!<br />
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So proud of you Clare, and so thankful to be your mommy!!<br />
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Here is her big performance :) </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-28994948522024799452013-12-08T11:52:00.001-08:002013-12-08T11:52:27.060-08:00Thanksgiving adventuresWe were supposed to leave for Michigan the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I was leisurely packing and running around Monday morning while Clare was at school when LD called at 1pm and said if we didn't leave by 4pm we were not going due to the expected snow storm. I had nothing (NOTHING) in suitcases, I had not showered and I had to get Clare. It was insanity, but at 4:30, we were on our way.<br />
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We have never done the drive in the night thing with the kids. I am always way too scared about it being a disaster...but it was awesome!! Everyone was asleep by 8:30 and slept til about 2:30 on and off. At 3am when we got gas EVERYONE woke up but was quiet and content. We pulled in at 3:30 and everyone slept til late the next morning. We truly loved it so much that we decided to do the same thing on the way home. Except on the way home LD and the kids slept from 8 til midnight while I packed the car and then we left at midnight and got home at 10:30am. In that 10 1/2 hour drive that is normally 11 and a half with kids...we only stopped ONCE!!!! At 6am we got gas and took a potty break and then finished the trip. It was really great!!!<br />
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We spent days 1 and 2 of our trip in Reading with LD's family. We did the usual - play with cousins, play with new toys and eat a LOT of food!!</div>
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We did an early Christmas with them and scored some fun toys that kept us entertained the rest of the trip!</div>
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LDs mom hosted 22 people (TWENTY-TWO!!) at their house for dinner, so we were busy.</div>
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And this is our niece Kara's first year at Purdue, so everyone got some new clothes to show off school pride :)</div>
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Days 3 and 4 were spent at my parents, and my older sister, her husband, their kids and boyfriend/girlfriend also spent the entire weekend with us. It was so fun to all be in one place!</div>
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We got to hang out with MORE cousins, eat yummy food, and do another family Christmas!</div>
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We also joined the crazies and did some shopping on Thanksgiving night from 9pm til 1am.</div>
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Before heading home, our last day in Michigan we went to Cabella's, which is super fun this time of year.</div>
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And had to stop for dounuts. Also, if you are from Michigan and ever in Dundee, my very favorite candle store called Swan Creek is in downtown and we made a fun stop there and stopped for pizza too. So at the end of the day, everyone got something fun!</div>
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The last two years downtown Blissfield where my parents live have a light parade the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We were all bundled up and ready to go and there was NO ONE in town. I guess they changed the date to later in December for this year. (BUMMER) To avoid a LOT of tears, we ducked in for a quick scoop of ice cream instead :) That was just a few hours before we put them to bed and headed home at midnight!</div>
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Successful and fun filled trip. We were so thankful to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with so many of our family members!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-22963695550720193462013-12-02T19:26:00.000-08:002013-12-02T19:26:56.425-08:00Set free by a sunriseNormal days for me are crazy and hectic, but every night when I settle into bed, I have peace. I may have a bad day, but I know who I am, why I am here, and that I am loved completely and fully. <br />
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In the last few weeks, I really struggled to quiet my heart. I just have felt an unsettling, an unrest that would not let up. It was beginning to affect my parenting, my relationships, my attitude and my days. I knew I needed to find the peace that I had known so well.<br />
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I decided to unplug myself from the world for a time. I de-activated facebook, stopped reading blogs, and started focusing on the things I knew to be true in my life. I didn't do it for any reason but to re-focus myself, but what I gained was so much more.<br />
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This verse came to mind a few days ago and it resonated so deeply with me. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4: 7-9 <br />
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Our family drove to Michigan last week to celebrate Thanksgiving and decided on a whim to drive through the night on the way home. LD drove from midnight til 7 and he was fading fast. I took over with a huge coffee in hand and he was fast asleep in the back seat. The car was incredibly quiet as we drove through the mountains and the sun was just starting to wake up. The sky was a beautiful pink color - and it happened - my peace was back. <br />
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It was almost as if God chuckled and said "Did you forget how big I was?! Did you forget that I wake the sun every morning without fail? Did you forget that I am fully and completely in control?"<br />
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Its so easy to lose focus. It breaks my heart to think that people believe God set up rules for us to follow as bondage. His rules offer so much freedom! If I choose to live as Philippians 4 says and think only on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable - and ONLY those things, I have freed myself from carrying weight on my shoulders that was never meant to be there.<br />
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I still will have bad days, crazy mornings, bad parenting moments, and once in a while I may go to bed with unrest - but I have no doubt that I was bought with a price and am loved completely and fully.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-9581589779383199042013-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:002013-10-25T11:34:06.724-07:00Happy 3rd Miss Elle BellMy middle, my very sweet and very spunky little girl is 3! I am so happy to see 2 go as they held many little battles between us, but with them came many great accomplishments! Now at the age of 3, Elle is potty trained, sleeping in a big girl bed with no paci (we have arrived!!)<br />
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Since Elle's birthday was on a Monday, we celebrated as a family on Sunday.</div>
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And Elle got a big girl bike. She knows how to petal on her trike, but is realizing the big girl bike takes a little more effort! It's so tiny and cute, I love seeing her on it!</div>
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And I tried my hand at baking my first birthday cake from scratch with homemade frosting and it came out pretty yummy!! </div>
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I didn't tell any of the kids, but we had planned a PJ birthday party for Elle and her friends for Monday morning while Clare was at school and Cole was napping. I thought it would be a great way for her to feel extra special and be the center of attention with her friends.</div>
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And I have to say, it was really cute and a big success!! </div>
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The girls played SO well together, we made fruit loop necklaces and had donuts as our "cake." I am learning quickly how to have a party with lots of fun, little mess and little expense. :)</div>
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Elle is blessed to have a sweet group of blondies she can call her friends. Little girls to learn with, grow with, play dress up and babies, and most importantly the art of friendship and how beautiful it is.</div>
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I feel like this picture is so priceless! Sweet little girls in all their innocence and beauty!</div>
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Thank you Elle for letting me be your mommy! Happy 3rd birthday!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-18152758147851960582013-10-25T11:19:00.002-07:002013-10-25T11:19:25.733-07:00Fall festivitiesWe decided to pack all fall activities into one short week and make sure we could check it all off our list. LD and Clare were both at home for Columbus Day so we thought it would be a great day to drive to the mountains to the apple orchard.<br />
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It's about a 2 hour drive and the weather didn't look promising, but LD is always much more open to these big adventures than I am. I kept saying it was raining and he kept telling me we were in a cloud. Either way...it was misty, but not too cold and ended up turning into a nice day.</div>
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The girls love Sky Top Orchards because there are 3 or 4 swing sets and a few playhouses.</div>
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I love it because they have apple cider donuts and it is beautiful being in the mountains!</div>
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But these little girl's legs (especially Elle's) were tired from all the walking. And of course LD was determined to find the apples that we had sampled and liked, so we walked A LOT!</div>
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But it was a perfect fall day, with fall weather and we came home with a lot of apples! I even made some yummy apple butter!</div>
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The next day Clare's school had a field trip to Aw Shucks! and since they are so little you just drive and stay for the preschool day. </div>
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It was set up so cute with 7 little stations all having to do with corn or farm work. So at this station they talked about silos and pretended to be a piece of corn sliding down.</div>
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And then they planted their own corn and watered it, picked a pumpkin, went on a hay ride, walked through a corn maze, milked a cow and collected eggs.</div>
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Such a fun day with my little girlies!!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-37383107702152161432013-09-28T17:48:00.000-07:002013-09-28T17:48:29.601-07:00My big little girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This picture is a perfect description of my sweet 5 year old. Clare is ALL girl, loves drama, dress up, and princesses. And for her birthday...she wanted a party! Since we had just gotten home from Disney, I knew I did not have the energy and daddy was NOT going to go for a party.</div>
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So, we settled on a porch party! Thankfully I have the worlds most gracious neighbors and they happily participated in this little event.</div>
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All of our neighbors came and hung out while Clare opened some presents, sang happy birthday and ate some cupcakes. Best. party. ever. </div>
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Clare was very cute, because she was highly concerned about the decorations. I kept telling her I had it taken care of, but she needed to approve of all of it. On her way home from preschool she asked if I would please call the guests and tell them it was a dress up party. After I informed her that no, that would not be happening, we decided she could dress up on her own.</div>
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(Mo and Cole are having a stare down)</div>
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Grandma and Grandpa had brought her some presents and Grandma had the perfect party dress. And it is quite grand! I honestly thought she would get shy or embarrassed, but she walked around the yard in her high heels and party dress the entire time.</div>
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This is the crew of Clare's "friends" consisting of all big kids, most of them being in middle or high school and they were all sweet enough to participate in Clare's fifth birthday. It was really sweet.</div>
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Then, the next day was Clare's REAL birthday, so I brought cupcakes in for her to enjoy with her class.</div>
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Yes, this girl is going to need a detox after Disney, grandparents and a birthday week!</div>
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Happy Birthday sweet Clare Bear! You are a joy to our home and a light in my life. I am so blessed and proud to be your mommy!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-2954889629482422002013-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:002013-09-28T17:32:34.380-07:00Our trip to the happiest place on earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am so excited to be able to post about our trip to Disney. Disney World is one of those crazy places that you plan forever (and ever and ever) and the anticipation is great to see all of your planning to come together, the trip is an exhausting whirlwind and you come home and cannot believe it is here and gone. </div>
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That said, we had an awesome time!!</div>
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I decided early on to leave Cole at home with LD's parents who graciously came and stayed at our house with him. It was the best decision...ever. During this trip I realized Elle is still really little and she needed to be the baby of the trip. She was very exhausted and required lots of TLC.</div>
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LD had found amazing flight prices so we flew down on Thursday, went to Epcot and had dinner with the princesses, went to Hollywood Studios Friday to meet Princess Sophia and had dinner that evening with Cinderella and her family at Grand Floridian. On Saturday and Sunday we went to Magic Kingdom and flew home Monday. </div>
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The best part of this trip is that we went during "free Dining" which means, yes, all of our meals were free...totally free, and it even included character meals. We all had 4 sit down meal tickets, 4 counter service meal tickets and 4 snacks for the trip. And yes, it was a LOT of food, but when we came home we had spend a grand total of $165 the ENTIRE 5 days including all of our souvenires. I think we will always plan to go this route!</div>
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Our biggest goal of the trip was to see as many princesses as possible. Both of my girls LOVE princesses, and watching them meet and interact with them was the highlight of our trip. My favorite line of Clare's after having dinner the first night with all the princesses was "Mom, you never let me pray for the princesses, but I told you they ARE real and now I can pray for them." I mean how do you argue with that. So yes, now we pray nightly for Aurora, Snow White and Tiana.</div>
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The other great part is that we have read all of the older Disney stories like Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and I highly recommend doing that before going. When the parades or shows were going on, the girls knew all of the characters and that made it so much more fun. </div>
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<br />A big surprise to us was how much both girls LOVED rides. We have never been to any kind of theme park at all so we had no clue how it would go. Elle was too short to ride any big rides, which was a bummer and caused a few total meltdowns. But, both girls rode the Pirate ride, Haunted Mansion and every other ride that doesn't require a height limit.</div>
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Clare rode the test track at Epcot, Splash Mountain twice and Thunder Mountain Railroad THREE times. She loved it. She told LD the first time halfway through she almost spit up, which had him panicked...but she made it!</div>
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As with all things Disney, the interactions with the princesses was so cute. Clare carried on real conversations with them about different characters and Snow White told her that Dopey had taken all of her jewels and Clare was seriously concerned.</div>
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Also funny...Clare would not look at, interact or even acknowledge any prince. This picture totally cracks me up because she would not even set down her chicken leg for the picture.</div>
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I hope we go back again in a few years so Cole can go with us. We already have mentioned it to family to start saving so we can all go together. Never did I think I would be a huge Disney person, but yes...I fell for the trap. It really is -</div>
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the happiest place on earth!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-59188410682546048352013-09-03T11:43:00.001-07:002013-09-03T11:43:03.719-07:00Big weekendWe like to end in style, so the Jackson's had a pretty big last weekend of summer! Two of our favorite families ever were in town (the Kirks from Boston and the Watts from Missouri), so we had a LOT of playtime!<br />
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Friday with everyone in town we had scheduled a playdate. Thankfully, everyone was up for my super crazy idea to head 2 hrs to the Columbia zoo with 7 adults and 8 kids (3 which are under a year).</div>
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Cole got to hang out with his best buddy Henry, who is just 2 day younger than him.</div>
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And my girls were thrilled with just having friends around.</div>
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Cole and Henry were hilarious grabbing at each other's paci's, shirts and toys.</div>
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And Elle was thrilled with a little more time with her sweet friend Mae. They haven't seen each other since January and picked right back up where they left off...just like true girlfriends!</div>
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Jude is a riot. He talks in HUGE complete sentences and has great expressions. He was the only one brave enough to feed the giraffes and he loved it. I mean his hand was just about in the giraffes mouth!</div>
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My two girls (the OLDEST two kids) loved the luxury of extra unused strollers and extra adults willing to push them around.</div>
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And I was reminded why I am not taking Cole to Disney world. He didn't bat an eye, but not happy in his stroller. He desperately wanted to be held and thankfully everyone was willing to pass him around.</div>
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Then early Saturday morning we had a massive two year old play date for everyone to get more playtime with Jude before he headed back to Boston.</div>
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Followed by the first Michigan game of the year and the first Michigan game ever that LD was able to share with his son...so sweet. I know LD is already excited to one day take Cole with him to the Big House :)</div>
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Monday we were invited over to friends to hang out more with Mae Mae and baby Henry before they had to head back to Missouri.</div>
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There were lots of sweet little babies to play with and everyone had such a great time!</div>
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Now...we are truly ready to get back to school and into the fall routine after such a fun weekend!!!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-66149100564346705872013-08-18T11:28:00.001-07:002013-08-18T11:28:40.152-07:002 down! (Potty training)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I never thought I would get to write this post!!! I truly feel like I deserve an award for this one :)</div>
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My Elle Belle is potty trained!!</div>
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, my sweet little peanut is a strong willed child. She is tough as nails. I have no doubt God is going to do great things through her and with her life with all of her spunk, but attempting to "train" her in anything has been a challenge.</div>
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We tried two different times and both times resulted in Elle yelling "I like diapers, I will not go on the potty!" while slamming her little potty. We set the timer, we made a sticker chart, we loaded her up with juice. She didn't have accidents, she just refused to go and would wait FIVE, yes, FIVE hours until I put a diaper on her at rest time and go then. Sigh...what to do. She was choosing to win the battle and I was at a loss.</div>
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I read in a book, (one that I did not like and didn't agree with half of what was written) to just show them the potty, put them in underwear, let them have accidents, don't offer a ton of praise, just let them figure it out. I thought: Worst. Idea. Ever. But, since I was at a loss I figured I'd give it a try. We have hardwood floors so the mess wouldn't be that bad.</div>
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I put her little potty out in the open, put her in underwear and rubber pants and we carried on. After two accidents she decided she didn't like it and started going on her own. End of story. No more accidents, not one fit, and she is proud of herself without needing a reward. Just accomplishing the goal was good enough satisfaction.</div>
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Lesson learned - all kids learn differently and my children will not learn in the way that I learn. Elle needs some freedom and with her freedom she was able to conquer a big step. We are all so proud of her (especially daddy who is only buying diapers for one baby now!)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-25616803176823382522013-08-05T11:50:00.004-07:002013-08-05T11:50:41.645-07:00Half a year, little one!I have never been super sentimental. I don't cry at mushy movies. I don't keep many keepsakes. At times I wish I had more of a coddling instinct with my children. I love them very passionately, just not the rock in chair all night so I can smell your hair and feel your skin kinds of demonstration. <br />
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Enter my little Cole-man.<br />
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I think it is a mixture of being a son, <em>my</em> son and also of being my last baby. I truly cannot believe how fast the first half of his first year went. It makes me weepy just thinking about it. I feel like we missed so much, yet I know we treasured so many special moments because LD and I talked about it all the time. How he was most likely our last newborn, the last baby to sleep in our room, the last baby we would feed with a spoon for the first time, the last baby I would nurse (that one was really hard for me and I don't even like nursing!), all of these last milestones has made me very reflective.<br />
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BUT, this blog post is a celebration of Cole's first six months, not a sob story about how this mama cannot handle her babies growing up (suck it up, right?)<br />
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Cole is the worlds EASIEST child, um, ever. He goes to anyone, smiles at anyone, flirts with everyone batting those big baby blues. He is the worlds best sleeper, going for a record 14 hrs the other night. He is much more mobile than the girls were at this age, or though it seems, but at times I feel like he was born yesterday. He is rolling all over the house, cruising around in his walker, and jumping non-stop in his jumper!<br />
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His very favorite thing is attention from his sisters. When they just give him a second of eye contact, he belly laughs. (Side note: When we took Cole to get his six month shots both girls cried, I mean real tears kinda cries when Cole got poked. It was so sweet and complete chaos). Every morning after breakfast they ask for him to be put in his walker and pull him into the play room and shut the door. Truly, they stay like that for an hour. It's bliss for all!!<br />
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We dropped Cole's evening cat nap pretty early on so he would go down at night the same time as the girls, so from 3:30 til 7 he is awake and it is a difficult time for sure. He is a screamer, squealer, high-pitched ringer, and it kills brain cells. He eats at 3:30, has table food at 5:30 and from then til 7 there is a full blown concert. During that awful time, when its also dinner, baths and bedtime prep for everyone else, and LD is usually not home, we resort to ANYTHING to keep everyone happy. He has started gnawing on apples and watermelon in his teether food toy, and drinking out of a sippy cup (he's pretty awesome at it) to get us through the afternoon.<br />
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He really is SUCH a joyful little boy. He has the cutest dimples, the biggest blue eyes and longest eye lashes. No doubt he will be a heart breaker. We cannot imagine life without this little man.<br />
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Happy six months Cole- man!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-20349520894706225982013-07-20T19:05:00.003-07:002013-07-20T19:05:59.586-07:00The not so funI knew Monday morning it was going to be a rough week. Everyone was off and I just had a feeling, but I didn't anticipate how rough it would be. On Saturday we had taken away Elle's paci and put her in a big girl bed. With anticipation of the worst and hopes for the best, I was pleasantly surprised. Throughout the weekend she wasn't napping, but staying in her room and playing during her two hour allotted "rest time" and never once came out of bed at night or in the morning. BUT, she had lack of sleep, which caused some extra TLC and patience as she worked through her day.<br />
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Also, Cole has been on a dairy free diet due to tummy issues and in addition to nursing I'm needing to supplement, so I was using a dairy free (aka very expensive) formula and was attempting to switch him to soy. It didn't work well and he ended up with a very red little bottom.<br />
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Clare had no transitions and was going strong while the other two were out of sorts, until Tuesday morning when I noticed a little red bump (for the purpose of blogging, we will just say it was in a little girl area). I took all three with me to the doctors (obviously not thinking clearly) to have it looked at where the doctor had me hold her down while she screamed as they "extracted" by squeezing a sample to send off to see if it was MRSA or some other type of staff infection. I left with 3 screaming children, some cream, an antibiotic and hopes we were done....we were not.<br />
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By Thursday the bump was 4 times the size and Clare was in incredible pain. I took her back to the doctors (I wised up and took her alone), where they proceeded to take another sample (a lot more screaming). We both left tired. I was supposed to be doing baths 2-3 times per day and by that afternoon it was bad. We have incredible neighbors, as I mention weekly, and a neighbor came to watch Elle and Cole so I could take Clare to meet LD at the children's hospital.<br />
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(Side note: When we pulled into Levine's Children Hospital Clare said "This is Joey's hospital, we have not been here in a long time! I can't wait to be here!" Cue this tired mommy's tears)<br />
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It was decided that Clare needed to undergo surgery to remove the infection and have 2 drains put in until the infection was totally clear. Poor Clare was SO hungry and did not eat from 3 til 11 pm. She told anyone who would listen that she just wanted to eat. We had an incredible team of nurses and doctors and not a tear was shed, not even when they put the IV in!!! We were in our room by 12:30 where Clare had pizza and watched a movie. Then the waterworks started when I turned off the tv at 2am. We learned being with a child at the hospital is way worse than just being in the hospital, but we survived.<br />
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Time at home has been hard...Clare still needs a lot of assistance with having her two drains until Monday. But we are THANKFUL for her bravery, her sweetness and God's protection over her.<br />
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I don't have a smart phone. I know I am one of the 3 left in the US without one. But, while I was at the hospital I didn't have any internet access. When I got home and saw so much support, love and prayers from people, my heart was overwhelmed. I had people constantly checking on me while we were at the hospital, people watching our children while we were gone, showing them great love. The last two nights we have had friends bring us a meal. Our neighbors and dear friends came and sat with us during the surgery at 10pm. It is crazy to look at this type of situation as a blessing, and I do wish it had never happened to our sweet girl. It is awful to watch your child in pain and it be out of your hands to help.<br />
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But I do know that even in the not so fun, even in the bumps in the road, God has a way of showing us His great love for us. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-17066829536516534522013-07-13T11:58:00.001-07:002013-07-13T11:58:39.343-07:00Michigan in the summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The purpose of our trip to Michigan was to spend extra special time celebrating Vanessa and Evan's upcoming arrival of their little boy. My mom, aunt, sister, and sister-in-law had planned a shower for all the Michigan family and friends. LD could not come the entire week so my mom and Aunt Tina drove down, left their car and drove me and all the kiddos back. That, is some SERIOUSLY sweet family!!</div>
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The shower was a success, Baby Hartsell is already very loved and got lots of great loot!</div>
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And of course Vanessa is glowing and rocking her pregnancy! She looks awesome!</div>
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By Sunday night we were all exhausted from the weekend, and it was time for the vacation to begin! We had SO much fun hanging out at Grammie and Papas house.</div>
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This is how Elle spent the majority of her time. She never actually swam, but spent a lot of time in the water - usually with clothes on. And do you see she is wearing a SWEATSHIRT?!?! It was so chilly - crazy!</div>
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My niece Kristyl came over with my great nephew Tyce to play one day and they brought this fairy costume for the girls. Clare had it on the rest of the trip. She loved it.</div>
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Uncle Evan, daddy and papa all took the girls for boat rides (notice Clare still has on her fairy crown). Yes, it made mommy nervous a few times when they decided to stand up in the boat and it got to rocking, but it was sweet memories for sure.</div>
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They picked some cat tails on one of their boat rides and neither of them could ever remember what they were called - I think I heard dog ears, lion tails...and combination of an animal and body part did the trick.</div>
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And every summer vacation is only made complete with s'mores. YUM!!</div>
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I really enjoyed (LOVED) having lots of extra sets of hands. I feel like this ridiculously huge smile on my face is how I felt about this trip. I rarely got dressed in real clothes, rarely did my hair, but spent lots of extra time hanging out with my babies. (Sidenote- I think I can only call them babies for a little while longer since Clare is almost FIVE!!)</div>
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On the fourth my parents invited all of our family (see below!) over for a cook-out, lawn games, and just good hang out time!</div>
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We always get a picture with whoever is there and even this time we are missing my sister and her entire family!</div>
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Daddy set off fireworks and I still cannot believe I let the girls stay up to watch. I forget how late it gets dark in Michigan. Elle's face is priceless watching her very first firework show.</div>
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We had a few really big ones! Classic Clare, loving it but making sure her ears are plugged.</div>
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The last two days in Michigan we got to spend time with LD's family.</div>
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My kiddos are blessed with some pretty awesome cousins.</div>
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They had so much fun playing and being loved on - and trust me when we are in Michigan there is a lot of love to go around!!</div>
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The journey ended with a miserable 14 hr. drive home due to weather, traffic and a few extra stops (Cole decided to add some excitement with some ridiculous diapers). But, we made it and I'm sure we will be all ready to do it again in November...but we need a few months to recover!~</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378642116204929806.post-72666893717226633822013-07-13T11:30:00.003-07:002013-07-13T11:30:53.755-07:00Let's blog!Oh my, I have been the worlds worst blogger. The good news is that the reason I haven't been blogging religiously is because we have been LOVING summer! I feel like with Clare having one year of pre-school under way this was our first real summer to enjoy. I felt like we could all relax, stay in our pjs longer, watch a little more tv and just enjoy life. It's funny how changing up routine gives you different perspective. And I felt like I needed a good month of just chill time, knowing I survived January through May with Cole's arrival and getting Clare to and from school (sounds little, but it was hard work!). Now, since its mid-July and I haven't posted since May....I'll just make this a catch up post on summer with the Jacksons!<br />
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The beginning of the summer we RELISHED in being home. I don't think we left the town of Wesley Chapel for two weeks...it was awesome!!</div>
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Sweet Elle has the best summer hair :)</div>
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With Cole being a little older he can now join in the fun outside. And do you see those blue eyes?!?!</div>
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I started the summer saying I was NOT going to a pool alone with all three, but we have accomplished it. I don't have many pictures because I was alone at the pool with 3 - HA. It is a lot of work, but it can be done. The girls (esp Clare) is to the age where she wants her swim wings off and she is not a good swimmer yet. So we have a rule they have to be on when I am by myself with everyone, but I do think swimming lessons will be in the near future.</div>
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And since we don't have a pool in our neighborhood, we have blown up a little pool a few times and everyone loves it!</div>
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And sometimes we get creative ;)</div>
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Clare did a week long dance camp that was called Princess Palooza (right up her alley!) at the dance studio at the end of our street. We could even walk and pick her up afterwards.</div>
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We celebrated Fathers Day- doesn't LD look so relaxed enjoying breakfast in bed??</div>
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And LD's 31st birthday!!</div>
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We have had a full summer already! Here is what is yet to come!</div>
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1. A week long camp for BOTH girls at the school where Clare will go next year</div>
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2. The arrival of my nephew in late August</div>
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3. And to top off a perfect summer - DISNEY in September (AHHHH!!!)</div>
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